Would the Sacramento Kings make this trade?
Huerter, Jones and a first-round pick for Kuminga is a pretty good deal in a vaccuum. The issues arise for the Kings when it comes to the on-court fit and financial situation, not to mention the fact they're helping a direct rival land an All-Star level player. We can't forget that Sacramento had interest in Markkanen themselves before trading for 6x All-Star DeMar DeRozan earlier in the month.
Kuminga's an exciting young forward who could develop into a genuine All-Star within the next couple of years, but the 21-year-old would also be a slightly clunky fit on this Kings roster. Adding DeRozan to Domantas Sabonis already brought some concerns on the lack of spacing, with that only heightened if they also bring Kuminga into the mix.
As a result, there's no guarantee that the former seventh overall pick would even start. Perhaps Mike Brown could go with a De'Aaron Fox, DeRozan, Keegan Murray, Kuminga, Sabonis opening five, yet Murray is the only player in that group who shoots above 34.1% for their career.
Kuminga would be the most likely to push back to the bench -- certainly not a scenario he wants to envisage entering his fourth season. Extension eligible this offseason, he's likely to command in excess of $30 million per year on his next contract. Sacramento already have Fox, Sabonis and DeRozan locked up on considerable money, just re-signed Malik Monk on nearly $20 million per season, and will need to give Murray a sizeable new deal when he becomes extension eligible next offseason.
Kuminga's an attractive option that teams should try to get in on as the third side in a Markkanen trade, but it doesn't make too much sense from a basketball and financial standpoint for the Kings to be that team.